With counting of votes underway in Manipur, Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 25 assembly seats followed by Congress with 9 seats according to early trends.
The polls were held in two phases and the state witnessed a record 89.3 per cent voter turnout.
Riding on their poll plank of development and improved connectivity in the state in the last five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will try to retain power in Manipur while the Congress-led alliance is seeking to wrest the state from the BJP and is hoping for a favourable verdict.
Earlier, the exit polls in Manipur gave a clear edge to the ruling BJP followed by Congress, a distant second. Elections for the 60-member Manipur Assembly took place in two phases on February 28 and March 5.
In 2017, the BJP had formed the government in Manipur with the support of the National People's Party (NPP), Naga People's Front (NPF) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) but this time, it decided to go solo and is contesting on all the 60 seats.
On the other hand, Congress had formed an alliance of six political parties and named it Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA). The coalition partners in MPSA include Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Janata Dal (Secular).
(With inputs from Agencies)
